Selecting machines



Nov. 27, 1962 DETWILER 3,065,852

SELECTING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 19, 1960 1 ggxswzm,

Nov. 27, 1962 DETWlLER 3,065,852

SELECTING MACHINES Filed Sept. 19, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY 3,665,852 Patented Nov. 27, 1952 3,965,352 SELECTING MACHINES Byron lL. Detwiler, 359 Aspen Sh, Warminster, Fa. Filed Sept. 19, 1960, Ser. No. 56,811 8 Claims. (6i. 202 -88) This invention relates to selecting machines and particularly to a machine that selects articles by length.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a selecting machine that is fast and positive in its selection.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a machine that can be used to select by size among lots of bolts, nails and other headed items.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a selecting machine which is readily adapted by simple changes in certain of its parts for changing the size selected.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a machine that automatically disengages in the event of a jam to prevent possible damage to the machine.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a selecting machine that is simple and inexpensive in its construction but efficient in operation.

Other objects and advantageous features will be apparent from the description and claims.

The nature and characteristic features of the invention will be more readily understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part thereof, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of a selecting machine in accordance with the invention, partly in elevation and partly in vertical section taken approximately on the line 1-1 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 2 is a top plan View of the machine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken approximately on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken approximately on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View taken approximately on the line 55 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view taken approximately on the line 66 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the machine in a different condition during operation;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional View taken approximately on the line 8-8 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view showing a modified form of measuring rod for use with hollow rivets.

It should, of course, be understood that the description and drawings herein are illustrative merely, and that various modifications and changes can be made in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, a machine for selecting articles by length is there illustrated.

.The machine includes a frame It} having spaced vertically extending arms 11 and 12.

A drive pulley 20 is provided on a shaft 21 and attached thereto by an override clutch 22. The shaft 21 is journaled in bearings 23 and 24 which are respectively mounted in the arms 11 and 12 of the frame The pulley 20 is driven by a belt 25, the belt 25 being a driven by a motor driven pulley (not shown) which can be mounted at any desired location.

a An article holding head 27 is provided for rotation with the shaft 21. The head 27 is held in a predetermined position of adjustment along the shaft 21 by a set screw 28.

The head 27 is provided with a plurality of transversely extending slots 29 equally spaced around the perimeter thereof for the reception therein of the articles to be sorted. The size, depth and number of slots 29 will be varied in accordance with the articles being measured, and different heads 27 can be employed to provide for accommodation of te machine to different sizes of articles.

A resilient holding arm 30 can be employed for retaining articles in the slots 29 during part of the movement of the head 27.

Attached to the shaft 21 for rotation therewith is a part of the measuring apparatus which comprises a measuring rod carrying spool 32 secured to the shaft 21 by a set screw 33. The spool 32 has longitudinally aligned openings 34 for the reception of measuring rods 35 preferably of hardened steel of predetermined length, in accordance with the length and tolerances in length of the articles to be measured. The rods 35 have springs 36 mounted thereon abutting at one end on an inner face 37 of the spool 32 and at the other end on spring abutments- 37 secured to the rods 35.

A measuring cam 39 is provided detachably mounted on an arm 40 of the frame 10 by bolts 41 for activation of the measuring rods 35. The arm 40 is carried by a supporting plate 42 which is adjustably secured to the frame plate 42 which is adjustably secured to the frame 10 of the machine by bolts 43 extending through elongated slots 44 in the plate 42.

The measuring cam 39 has a beveled or angularly disposed rod advancing face portion 45 for successive engagement by rods 35 advanced thereto, and a measuring face portion 46 for successive engagement by the rods 35 to hold the articles to be measured at a measuring position.

The frame 10 has extending upwardly therefrom an upright 54 which has a delivery tube or chute 80 vertically disposed thereon so that the articles to be measured are delivered downwardly from any suitable source, such as a hopper (not shown) with the articles fed into the delivery tube with their heads all pointing in the same direction, and preferably to the left as seen in FIGS. 1 and 7. The bottom end of the delivery tube or chute 80 is located for the delivery of articles to the article holding head 27.

The upright 50 is provided with a slot 51 in which a detector finger 52 is pivotally mounted on a pivot pin 53. The detector finger 52 is normally urged to a predetermined detecting position by a spring 54 which abuts against a spring abutment 55 carried by the upright 50 and has a switch actuating arm 56 carried thereby. The switch actuating arm 56 has a zero setting screw 48 threaded therein for engagement with the upright 50, a lock nut 49 being provided for holding the screw 48 in the desired position of adjustment.

The switch actuating arm 56, at its upper end, has the controlling stem 57 of an electric switch 60 connected thereto by a lost motion connection adjustable by a nut 53 carried on the stem 57.

The length of the arm 56 above the pivot pin 53 is greater than the effective length of the detector finger 52 below the pivot pin 53 to provide an amplification of the movement of the detector finger 52.

The switch 60 upon movement of the stem 57 to energized position is adapted to deenergize a solenoid 61 having an armature 62 which, when the solenoid 61 is energized, is held in an upper position and upon deenergization moves downwardly.

The armature 62 has a threaded opening 63 for the adjustable connection of the threaded upper end of a link 64.

The link 64 is pivotally connected by a pivot pin 67 to an arm 68 which is in turn connected to a pivotally mounted selector gate 70 carried on a pivot pin 71.

3 mounted in the upright 50. The selector gate 70 is preferably provided with a slot 72 of suitable width for the reception of the stem of the headed article whose length is to be measured and serves as an article delivering member under certain conditions.

The frame on opposite sides of the upright 50 has passageways 75 and 76 for the separated articles, the passageway 75 receiving the longer articles and the passageway 76 receiving the shorter articles after measurement.

A modified form of measuring rod is illustrated in FIG. 9 which includes a rod which has an opening 77 for the reception of a pin which is receivable in the socket of a hollow stem or split rivet r.

The mode of operation will now be pointed out.

A supply of articles to be sorted or selected to length, such as rivets, bolts, or the like, from a hopper (not shown) are fed into the delivery chute 86 with their heads all pointing in the same direction. The lowermost of the articles will successively each fall into a slot 29 in the head 27 as the slots 2% move under the lower end of the delivery chute 80.

The motor (not shown) is energized to rotate the pulley 2i), and, through the clutch 22, rotate the shaft 21.

Rotation of the shaft 21 is efiective for rotating the head 27 and the spool 32. The selector rods 35, impelled by the springs 36, are normally retracted until, upon the rotation of the spool 32, the end of a rod 35 comes into contact with the face of the cam 39. The face 45 causes the rod 35 in engagement therewith to move to a position to contact the end of an article in the slot 29 aligned therewith.

The rod 35 and article are advanced by the cam face 45 until the end of the rod comes into engagement with the measuring face 46. The total length of the rod 35 and article 36 when the rod is in engagement with the face 46 is the measured dimension.

If this total length is such that the head of the article pushes against the plate 52, indicative of a dimension greater than a selected dimension, this is effective for swinging the plate 52 about the pivotal axis provided by the pivot pin 53 to actuate the arm 56. The effect of the dimensional variation moving the plate 52 is amplified by the length of the arm 56 above the pivot pin 53. Upon movement of the stem 57 by the arm 56, the switch 60 is effective to deenergize the solenoid 61 and move the armature 62 downwardly. Upon downward movement of the armature 62, the rod 64 is also moved downwardly to move the gate in a counterclockwise direction as seen in FIGS. 1 and 7 to move the headed article which has previously moved the plate 52 by engagement with its head for delivery to the discharge passageway 75.

If the headed article is of such length that the plate 52 is not moved, that is the total linear dimension of the article and the rod 35 when the rod 35 is in engagement with the face 46 is below a selected dimension, then the article is carried downwardly by the head 27 and upon passing below the lower end of the holder 30, falls by gravity from its engagement in a slot 29 for discharge through the passageway 76.

The measuring operation continues so long as headed articles are delivered to the retaining head 27 and positioned by the rods 35 successively brought into engagement therewith.

If different lengths of articles are to be measured, the rods 35 can be changed for rods of proper length. For measuring articles having end openings, rods 35a of the type illustrated in FIG. 9, may be employed. The rods 35a are also useful for very small articles such as tiny rivets.

A high rate of production is available with the machine in accordance with the invention, with a selection of headed articles according to length within very close tolerances.

I claim:

1. A machine for selecting articles of predetermined length comprising a rotatable head having peripheral portions each for the reception of an article, a rotatable member rotated in unison with said head and having a plurality of measuring rods mounted therein in alignment with said peripheral portions, a cam member having a face portion for respective engagement with one of said rods to impel said rod into engagement with an article in one of said peripheral portions, a detector memher having a movable face portion in the path of movement of the article selectively engageable by an end terminal of the article if the combined length of the article and of the rod in engagement therewith are of a predetermined linear dimension, and a selector member controlled by said detector member engaging said article upon movement of said detector member.

2. A machine for selecting articles of predetermined length comprising a rotatable head having peripheral portions each for the reception of an article, a rotatable ember rotated in unison with said head and having a plurality of measuring rods mounted therein in alignment with said peripheral portions, a cam member having a face portion for respective engagement with one of said rods to impel said rod into engagement with an article in one of said peripheral portions, a detector member having a movable face portion in the path of movement of the article portion in predetermined linear spaced relation to said face portion of said cam member and moved by an end terminal of an article when the combined length of the article and the rod equals a predetermined length, and an article selector member engaging said article upon movement of said detector member and impelling said article out of its peripheral portion.

3. A machine for selecting articles as defined in claim 2 in which said article selector member is a pivotaily mounted gate with slot for the reception of part of the article.

4. A machine for selecting articles of predetermined length comprising a rotatable head having peripheral portions each for the reception of an article, a rotatable member rotated in unison with said head and having a plurality of measuring rods mounted therein in alignment with said peripheral portions, a cam member having a face portion for successive engagement with each of said rods to successively impel said rods into engagement with an article in one of said peripheral portions, a detector member having a movable face portion in the path of movement of the article in predetermined linear spaced relation to said face portion of said cam member and moved by an end terminal of an article when the combined length of the article and the rod in engagement therewith equals a predetermined length, a solenoid controlled by said detector member, and an article selector member connected to said solenoid are actuated thereby for impelling said article out of its peripheral portion upon movement of said detector member.

5. A machine for selecting articles of predetermined length comprising a frame, a shaft rotatably supported by said frame, driving members for said shaft, an upright extending above said frame and having a delivery chute for the delivery of articles to be measured, an article receiving and retaining head mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, said head having a plurality of periph eral openings each for the reception of an article to be measured, a spool carried by said shaft for rotation therewith and having a plurality of measuring rods mounted therein and each aligned with one of said peripheral openings, resilient members for impelling said rods away from said head, said rods each having an end portion for engagement with an article to be measured and having an opposite end portion, a cam member on said frame and having a measuring face for successive engagement by said opposite end portions of said rods for determining the dimension measuring position of said rods, a detector member having a movable face portion in the path of movement of the article engageable by an end terminal of an article impelled by one of said rods when the combined linear dimension of the article and the rod exceeds a predetermined linear dimension, and a selector member actuated by said detector member for selecting articles of predetermined length.

6. A machine for selecting articles as defined in claim 5 in which said driving members include a self releasing overload clutch.

7. A machine for selecting articles as defined in claim 5 in which said cam member has a face portion for engagement by opposite end portions of said rods for advancing said rods toward measuring positions.

8. A machine for selecting articles of predetermined length comprising a horizontal frame, a horizontally disposed shaft rotatably supported by said frame, driving members for said shaft, an upright extending above said frame and having a delivery chute for the delivery of oriented headed articles to be measured, a receiving and retaining head mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, said head having a plurality of peripheral openings parallel to said shaft each for the reception of the shank of an article to be measured, a spool carried by said shaft for rotation therewith and having a plurality of measuring rods mounted therein parallel to said shaft and each aligned with one of said peripheral openings, resilient members for impelling said rods away from said head,

said rods each having an end portion for engagemet with an article to be measured and having an opposite end portion, a cam member adjustably carried by said frame and having a face portion for engagement by said opposite end portions of said rods for successively moving each of said rods towards a position to engage an article carried by said head, said cam having a measuring face for engagement by said opposite end portions of said rods for determining the dimension measuring position of said rods, a detector member having a movable face portion in the path of movement of the article engageable by an end terminal of an article impelled by one of said rods when the combined linear dimension of the article and the rod exceeds a predetermined dimension, and a selector member actuated by said detector member for selective engagement with articles of predetermined length as de termined by said detector member, said gate member being pivotally mounted for directing selected articles away from other articles carried by said head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 231,359 Rhodes Aug. 17, 1880 1,111,990 Braun Sept. 29, 1914 1,611,940 Ohmer Dec. 28, 1926 2,046,394 Lindegaard July 7, 1936 2,796,986 Rajchman June 25, 1957 

